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Friday, 16 January 2015

Reportage: It's full marks for our top mark schools

A Halifax primary school has come top of the class in the most recent Key Stage Two league tables from the Department for Education.

Copley Primary School saw 100 per cent of its Year six pupils reached the national benchmark of level four or above in reading, writing and mathematics.

The results put the school at the top of the charts for Calderdale primary schools with Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Scout Road Academy, Norland CofE Junior and Infant School and New Road Primary School all seeing 100 per cent of their pupils achieving level four or above.

“This is a result of a fantastic team effort by all the amazing staff at Copley, wonderful pupils who always work hard and consistently give us their best, and very supportive parents - it’s all three working together.”

Council leader Coun Stephen Baines (Con, Northowram/Shelf) said: “Copley is good example of a school that’s struggling in an old Victorian building - the current difficulties they have with the water issues in the floor areas - and is still providing an excellent level of education for its young people.

“Even with its difficulties, it can provide the sort of education that for me there’s no excuse for any school not to.
“I just want every school in Calderdale to be up at that standard - there’s no excuse for any school not to be up there with the best.

“The failure is that some schools don’t stretch their pupils enough. We shouldn’t be treading water, we should be pushing children to the limit of their capacity.”

Calderdale primaries are county's best

Calderdale primary schools have topped the table for local authorities in West Yorkshire, with 88 per cent of its primary pupils attending schools rated by Ofsted as being ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’.

This number compares with Leeds which scored 83 per cent, Kirklees which scored 74 per cent and Wakefield and Bradford which both scored 73 per cent.

In total, more than 700 schools in England are now considered to be performing below standard, the same proportion as last year.
Leader of Calderdale Council, Coun Stephen Baines (Con, Northowram/Shelf), said: “We have a tendency to be one of the best in West Yorkshire, but I actually look at the country as a whole and we’re not up there with the best in the country.

“Our target is to be the best and to offer every child a good standard of education.

“It’s through good leadship that we can give the best education for young people.”